Healing the Breach
by Yankees-Fan
Summary: What will life be like for the survivors of the attack after the pilots return to Pearl? *Uploaded Chapter Eight! Sorry for the long wait!* Review, Review, Review!!!
1. Sunsets

Healing the Breach  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you would recognize, just the plot.  
Notes from the Author: For the purposes of this story Anthony didn't die but he did suffer   
from a head injury during the mission. There is some romance in this story, so far the   
pairings are Rafe/Evelyn and Anthony/Sandra.  
  
The thing Evelyn hated most in the world was waiting. She had done more than her fair   
share of waiting during her twenty-four years on Earth. She had waited for her father to   
return from missions during World War I as a young girl and as a teenager she had   
waited for her mother to die. She had had cancer and all Evelyn wanted was for her to   
transcend the pain that had plagued her for the final two years of her life.  
  
But as she stood on the hot tarmac underneath the early May sunshine, waiting for the   
doors to open after the plane that carried the "Doolittle Boys" landed back at Pearl was   
the hardest waiting she had ever had to do.  
  
Seeing Rafe emerge from the plane made her the happiest she had ever been or ever   
could be. Knowing that he was safe, that he was alive lifted the world's heaviest weight   
from her shoulders. She didn't even have room to feel guilty, knowing that she could   
never love Danny, the father of her child, as she would love Rafe.  
  
But as he turned back towards the plane to grab the front of what she knew was Danny's   
coffin, Evelyn's body became empty. She couldn't even feel the six-month old unborn   
child in her belly. The wide and genuine smile that had spread across her delicate and   
elegant face at the sight of Rafe evaporated.  
  
When Rafe stopped in front of her, her hand reached out and caressed Danny's flight   
jacket. Shocked, she found herself being able to say goodbye to him. When she though   
Rafe had died, it had taken her nearly a year just to say the words, but she could never   
mean them. There had never been a body, a coffin with Rafe though. And she had never   
given up the hope that he was alive, that they would be able to spend the night together   
like they had wanted to in New York.  
  
Her eyes met Rafe's and she melted into his gentle and willing embrace. She saw his eyes   
glance down at her swollen abdomen and felt his arms release her a bit, as if he were   
afraid to crush the baby.  
  
Rafe stroked her hair with his bandaged hand and whispered "I'm so sorry Evelyn, so   
sorry" over and over again, so close to her that she could feel his lips graze her ear.  
  
Even in her shocked and saddened state Evelyn thought, "It's been so long since he's   
touched me. Since the night he came back." Evelyn thought back to the kiss they had   
shared, the kiss that she couldn't stop, even though she was pregnant with his best   
friend's baby.  
  
They never lost bodily contact, even while Rafe and the other pilots loaded Danny's   
coffin onto a trunk that would take it to storage until Rafe could get it back to Tennessee.   
There was always a hand on the small of her back, her arm, around her waist, or even   
cupping her cheek.  
  
Rafe turned to her, his broken heart already beginning to heal, and whispered, "Let's get   
out of here." Evelyn nodded, aching to be alone with him. All she wanted to do was to   
look at him, talk to him, and be with him for the rest of her life.  
  
Meanwhile, Sandra had caught sight of Anthony among all the reunions between pilots   
and their families, wives, and girlfriends. She fought through the crowd and stopped less   
than six inches away from him.  
  
"Are you going to be okay?" she asked, her fingers tenderly stroking the bandages that   
hid the stitches on his head.  
  
"Yeah," he murmured. "Some Chinese doc stitched me up as best he could before we had   
to fly back home."  
  
"Come on," Sandra said. "I'm taking you to the hospital so I can have a look at it."  
  
Anthony stopped and looked straight into her emerald eyes. "You remember that line I   
tried on you back in New York?" He swallowed nervously when she nodded. "Well it   
wasn't a line. I meant it."  
  
Sandra was astonished to see Anthony this serious. She laced her fingers through his and   
leaned her lead on his shoulder. "Good." she replied.  
  
Evelyn and Rafe had ridden in a taxi that dropped them off at a beach close to one of the   
airfields. Many of the pilots that were there had waved to Rafe and Evelyn could hear   
them say to one another, "He's one of the Doolittle Boys!"  
  
Rafe had stopped and sat down on the warm sand, hugging his knees to his chest. Evelyn   
thought he looked strangely like a child, but Rafe was almost twenty-six.  
  
"I'm so sorry Ev." Rafe apologized.  
  
"You have nothing to apologize for." She told him grasping his hand, running her thumb   
over his roughened knuckles. "It was his choice to go. I only wish that I could have told   
him about the baby, and that he knew how I really felt."  
  
Rafe turned his head away from Evelyn, towards the Oahu Mountains, not wanting to see   
her face when she told him that she loved Danny.  
  
"Part of me will always love Danny. He gave me this child, someone to talk to when I felt   
so alone but most of all," she grabbed Rafe's chin and turned his face towards hers "he   
gave me a living reminder of the love of my life, even when I thought I had lost him   
forever."  
  
She ran her thumbs over the planes of Rafe's face as he gently gripped her shoulders.   
They both leaned in at the same time and kissed each other, gently at first but with each   
passing second the passion between the two increased, as the sun began to set.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
All feedback is greatly appreciated and so are ideas for the coming chapters. I don't plan   
on bringing Danny back from the dead and I want Rafe and Evelyn to stay together.  
Danielle 


	2. Butterfly Kisses

Healing the Breach  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize, just the plot.  
Author's Notes: For the purposes of this story Anthony didn't die but he did suffer from a   
head injury during the mission. There is some romance in this story, so far the pairings   
are Rafe/Evelyn and Anthony/Sandra.  
  
Anthony watched Sandra as she removed the bandages from his head. It was still sore   
from when he had been knocked unconscious by the plane's emergency landing.  
  
Sandra sucked in a sharp breath when she saw the stitches on Anthony's forehead. She   
hadn't expected it to look so swollen and bruised. His forehead looked like a highway   
map with all the stitching.  
  
"Does it hurt a lot?" she asked, placing each hand on one of his temples.  
  
"Not too bad," Anthony lied. "I'm sure it would heal faster if Nurse Sandra gave it a kiss   
and made it feel all better." Anthony gave her his Casanova grin that made Sandra go   
weak in the knees.  
  
Sandra had to smile even though Anthony was acting like a cocky pilot again instead of   
the sweet and earnest man he had been at the airfield. She found it hard to say which   
Anthony she liked better, she believed that even if there were seven hundred versions of   
Anthony she would love them all.  
  
She looked at Anthony, seeing him bow his head as if ashamed to disappoint her. She   
lifted his face to hers and laid a kiss so light upon his forehead, lighter than a butterfly's   
landing, that Anthony couldn't be entirely positive that she had actually kissed him until   
he saw her face.  
  
Rafe and Evelyn had spent most of the night at the beach, until Rafe decided that it was   
too cold for Evelyn to be outside. Evelyn had smiled, listening to him tell her that he   
couldn't believe that he had kept her outside so late. No matter that it was May in Hawaii.   
Rafe was doing what Rafe did best, protecting people.  
  
He borrowed a car from one of the pilots and drove her home. They parted with a tender   
but chaste kiss at the front door, Rafe promising to come over first thing the next   
morning.  
  
Evelyn walked inside, finding Barbara asleep on the couch. She smiled softly and   
covered her with a light blanket, planting a soft kiss on her forehead. Evelyn knew that   
Barbara missed Billy, more than she would ever admit. She and Red had gotten together   
many times, just for lunch or a walk on the beach. Evelyn didn't even have to ask what   
they talked about when they actually talked. It was Billy and Betty.  
  
She went into her room, Betty's things left the way they had been the day she died.   
Evelyn couldn't bear to touch them. She changed out of her dress and into a pair of silky   
pajamas. She had abandoned the movie-star style nightgowns once her stomach had   
started to grow. She hadn't realized how tired she was until her head hit the pillow and   
she immediately fell into a dreamless sleep.  
  
Rafe pulled up in front of the small house on the water that the nurses shared the next   
morning. As he walked up the stairs to the screened-in porch he saw Evelyn sitting on the   
couch, tears running down her face.  
  
"Evelyn! What's the matter?" he asked, sitting down beside her.  
  
"Nothing!" she cried. "Everything! I'm so fat! The baby won't let me sleep and I'm so   
damn sick of being pregnant!" she stood up, wiping the tears from her face. "I fell so ugly   
and exhausted." Evelyn looked beyond exhausted.  
  
Rafe tried not to laugh as he stood up to put his arms around her. "Ev, you're anything   
but ugly and fat. You're even more beautiful now." Rafe sat down, thinking that Evelyn   
wasn't fat or ugly, but must be crazy to think so. Evelyn was so delicate, so much so that   
Rafe was sometimes afraid to touch her, for fear that he would break her.  
  
"I'm sorry Rafe. I'm just so exhausted. I don't have enough energy to do anything but lay   
down all day." Evelyn was a person that needed to be doing something to feel fulfilled.   
That's why she had become a nurse, there was always something to do at the hospital.  
  
Rafe smiled and lifted up her pajama top up enough to lay a kiss on her stomach. "Hey   
kid," he whispered to the baby. "Let your mama get some sleep, okay?"  
  
Evelyn rested her cheek atop Rafe's head and sighed contentedly. She was touched by   
Rafe's simple but tenderly romantic gesture. She felt herself wishing that this were Rafe's   
child, that they were a family.  
  
"Listen," said Rafe. "I can come back later when you've had a chance to rest."  
  
Evelyn nodded. "You mean when I'm not so crazy, right?" she smiled.  
  
Rafe chuckled. "You're not crazy either Ev," he hugged her and kissed both of her   
cheeks. "I'll be back later. Get some rest."  
  
Evelyn watched Rafe as he walked back to the car. She already felt calmer and more at   
peace, knowing that anything could happen as long as they were together.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
All feedback and reviews, good or bad, are most welcome!!! 


	3. Pilots and Nurses

Healing the Breach  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you would recognize, just the plot.  
Notes from the Author: For the purposes of this story Anthony didn't die but he did suffer   
from a head injury during the mission. There is some romance in this story, so far the   
pairings are Rafe/Evelyn and Anthony/Sandra.  
  
  
The next few weeks passed by fairly uneventfully for Evelyn. She continued to work at   
the hospital, treating some of the patients that had sustained gruesome injuries from   
recent attacks at other bases. All of the patients in Ward Three took a liking to the gentle   
and quiet nurse who could seemingly waddle, as fast as her seven-months pregnant frame   
would allow her, to their bedsides before they had a chance to ask for something. She   
became their own Florence Nightingale, writing letters, adjusting pillows, and serving   
them their meals. In fact, there had been a few of the younger patients who had developed   
something of a crush on the elegantly beautiful woman.  
  
  
Evelyn lived for her shifts at the hospital. The perfectionist in her liked to see all of the   
blood and bruises disappear, with barely visible scars left in their places. However, she   
found herself being able to work less and less as the days passed. Her stomach grew   
everyday and sometimes Evelyn thought that she would explode before having the   
chance to give birth.  
  
  
One day after her shift was over she returned home to find Barbara sitting on the couch,   
knitting as fast as her slender fingers would allow. Evelyn was concerned. Barbara wasn't   
domestic in the least and there she was, staring at her work and murmuring "Knit three,   
purl one," like it was a mantra. "Barbara, hon, are you okay?" asked Evelyn.  
  
  
Barbara looked up, startled, like a deer caught in a car's headlights. "Yeah," she said,   
shaking her head. "That kid of yours is gonna need some clothes isn't it? No one is gonna   
want to see it naked, especially if it looks like its Dad."  
  
  
Evelyn smiled, stroking the soft green yarn. "You're right. I love this color. It's one of   
my favorites."  
  
  
Barbara put her knitting down. "It was Billy's favorite color too!" she sobbed onto   
Evelyn's shoulder. Evelyn patted Barbara's hair, not trying to calm her down, for this   
was the first time she had seen Barbara cry.  
  
  
Rafe, Gooz, Red, and Anthony all lay on their bunks in the barracks. Rafe had been   
transferred there after their return from their mission in China. The four men had quickly   
become the best of friends. What brought them together was the mourning of their fallen   
comrades, and this allied mourning had brought them into a brotherhood.   
  
  
Each of the pilots added their own dynamic to the group. Rafe was the oldest and was   
serious most of the time but was always up for fun. Red, even though he was the   
youngest, was the one the men always went to for advice. Gooz was the jokester, always   
good for a laugh. And Anthony was the smooth talker. If the boys found themselves in   
any sort of trouble Anthony was the one who came up with the best excuse.  
  
  
Anthony stared at the ceiling fan, which was doing nothing but moving the hot Hawaiian   
air around. "I wonder what Sandra's doin," he asked no one in particular.  
  
  
"I told you!" Gooz said, lazily. " Ladies cloud the mind. You'd better be careful buddy."  
  
  
Rafe grunted from his bunk. He turned on his side, looking Anthony in the eye. "You   
really like her!" It wasn't a question. Rafe saw all of the signs. He had acted the same   
way when he first met Evelyn in New York last year. It seemed like a dozen lifetimes   
ago.  
  
  
"Yeah…" Anthony said, sounding surprised to admit it. " I do!" He jumped off his bunk   
and grabbed his jacket. "I gotta find her!"  
  
  
"Try the hospital," offered Red.  
  
  
"Man," Gooz said. "What is it about pilots and nurses?"  
  
  
Sandra sat at her desk in the hospital, reviewing the inventory that one of the new nurses   
had done last week. She found herself think about Anthony. She couldn't believe that she   
had kissed him at the hospital when he had come back. Sandra was the most proper out of   
all the nurses and kissing Anthony was something that she never would of thought herself   
capable of.  
  
  
In the weeks that had followed the pilot's return home they had seen each other   
frequently, sometimes planned and sometimes coincidentally. One time Sandra had been   
walking past Battle Row, which was still recovering and the place that Sandra would   
always associate with the smell of death, and had seen Anthony standing at the railing,   
gripping it so hard that his knuckles were white. She had walked up beside him and had   
silently taken his hand in hers. They had stood there, watching the waves splash against   
the sides of the ships, for at least a half an hour without either of them uttering a single   
word. Suddenly, Anthony had turned to her and whispered "Come on," They had walked   
back to the nurse's quarters hand in hand. Once the screen door to the porch had shut   
Anthony had turned around and started to walk back to his barracks.  
  
  
Sandra sighed. Anthony was more confusing than she had thought he would have been.   
One minute he was a sweet and gentle man, the portrait of a gentleman, but the next he   
turned back into a typical Army pilot. Cocky and extremely self-assured. Anthony never   
talked about what happened in China. Sandra wasn't sure but she thought that that might   
have something to do with his behavior, which could change faster than he could make a   
plane switch direction.  
  
  
She looked up, hearing a sharp knock at the door. Anthony stood outside, shifting his   
weight from side to side. She laughed to herself, never having seen him look this nervous   
before. Sandra opened her door and backed up to let Anthony by her. He didn't come in   
right away, though. He stood in the doorway, swallowing and nervously running his   
hands through his hair.  
  
  
"Is everyone okay?" she asked, Anthony's behavior starting to make her nervous. "Is   
Evelyn alright? The baby?" She wasn't due for another two months and Sandra wasn't   
sure that Evelyn's delicate frame was ready to give birth.  
  
  
"Yeah, Evelyn and the baby and everyone else are okay." Everyone had been keeping a   
close eye on her, even the pilots. They tried to do it nonchalantly but nothing had escaped   
Sandra's eyes. Evelyn's pregnancy hadn't exactly been low-stress." Except for one," he   
added mysteriously.  
  
  
Sandra's heart plummeted. "Is it Barbara? She didn't do anything crazy, did she?" All of   
the nurses had been worried about Barbara. She had changed since Billy and Betty had   
died.  
  
  
"It's not Barbara. She's fine. It's me." Anthony said, his eyes on the floor.  
  
  
"Oh lord! What's the matter? Are you hurt?" Sandra asked, her hands automatically   
going to his forehead.  
  
  
"No…I'm not hurt…it's-it's just that…Christ!" he muttered. "I like you Sandra. A lot!"  
  
  
Sandra stood there for a minute, and then threw her arms around Anthony's neck. "I like   
you a lot, too!" she laughed. She drew back from their embrace and smacked his   
shoulder. "Now don't do that to me ever again! I thought someone was seriously sick!"   
She laughed again and kissed his cheek.  
  
  
"Yeah, well I think that I may have a bad case of lovesickness," Anthony whispered into   
her ear, her curls tickling his lips.  
  
  
Evelyn and Rafe drove along the coast in a car that he had bought from a civilian family   
that had decided to leave the island. Rafe looked over at Evelyn, who was being   
unusually quiet. The sight of her, with her long dark hair blowing in the wind caused   
Rafe's heart to start to beat abnormally. He truly did believe that she was even more   
beautiful at seven-months pregnant. He had never understood why people described   
pregnant women as "glowing", until now.  
  
  
"What are you worried about?" he asked, seeing her chew on her bottom lip.  
  
  
"What makes you think that I'm worried about something?" Evelyn asked, angry at   
herself for ruining what could have been a nice day away from everything with Rafe. She   
was worried about everyone. People had changed so much since the attack at Pearl. She   
was thinking about Danny. She was almost glad that she hadn't told him that she was   
pregnant, that he had died thinking that she loved him. Evelyn knew that she would have   
had to marry Danny if he had come back but she wasn't sure if she could love him or   
make him believe that she did love him.  
  
  
Evelyn had tried not to think about Danny but thoughts of him crept into mind at the   
oddest times. She thought of him whenever she wrote a letter for a young patient of hers   
who wrote poetry that was almost as beautiful as Danny's. Or when she looked into Dr.   
Hamilton's eyes, they were the exact same shade of green as Danny's.  
  
  
"That thing that you're doing with your lip, that's what," Rafe chuckled. "Honestly,   
what's the matter?"  
  
  
It amazed Evelyn at how well Rafe understood her behavior. He knew that when she   
massaged her temples she was tired, if she kicked off her shoes and rolled her ankles than   
her swollen ankles and feet were sore, and when she put her hands on the small of her   
back and sighed the baby had been kicking. "Nothing important," she said. "I'm fine."   
She looked down at Rafe's hand, which had been massaging the inside of her wrist and   
sending an electrical current throughout her entire body. "Let's just go to the beach."  
  
  
"Sounds good to me," he answered, resting a hand on the top of her stomach to feel the   
baby's heart beat. Rafe did this all the time, telling Evelyn that it made the baby seem   
like a reality. "When I feel it's heartbeat then I know that it's gonna be alive in this world   
with us soon," he had told her.  
  
  
Evelyn rested her hand on top of Rafe's. "Soon Rafe. I have this feeling that it's gonna   
happen really soon." 


	4. Silver Filigree

Healing the Breach  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you would recognize, just the plot.  
Notes from the Author: For the purposes of this story Anthony didn't die but he did suffer   
from a head injury during the mission. There is some romance in this story, so far the   
pairings are Rafe/Evelyn and Anthony/Sandra.  
  
  
The eight nurses and pilots gathered around a large booth in the back of one of the clubs   
in town. They met there at least once a week for dinner and dancing. Sandra loved nights   
like these, ones that made life seem normal again. There was something about getting   
dressed-up, knowing that she would see Anthony in his uniform, that reminded her of life   
before America had joined the war. Tonight, they had even been able to persuade Barbara   
to join them. After Billy's death she had taken a turn for the worse, hardly talking and   
only leaving the house to work at the hospital. Sandra thought that Evelyn's baby had   
begun to remind her that while life could be destroyed it could also be created.  
  
  
And there Barbara sat, sandwiched between Gooz and Red, martini in hand, giggling   
away at one of Gooz's jokes. She had curled her blonde hair, powdered her fair skin,   
painted her lips a dark red, and poured her curvaceous frame into a dark blue dress. Gooz,   
who seemingly appreciated her ample curves, had paid special attention to Barbara at the   
table. He seemed to think that no one noticed his behavior but Sandra couldn't help   
looking at them from out of the corner of her eye. She was glad that Barbara was having   
a good time but was worried that she and Gooz could rush into a relationship like Evelyn   
and Danny had.  
  
  
Anthony looked over at Sandra and watched her begin to twist her dinner napkin in her   
hands. "Hey," he whispered, twining his fingers around one of her hands. "Just relax. Try   
and have some fun tonight." Anthony was surprised to see that Sandra wasn't wearing   
her glasses tonight. She had explained to him when he picked her up that she only needed   
them for reading and close-up. She dropped the napkin back into her lap but, did not let   
go of his hand, just lowered it so that their joined hands were resting on one of her thighs.   
Anthony looked down, rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles and squeezed her hand   
reassuringly. "Everything's gonna be okay."  
  
  
Gooz stood up as the house band began to play an up-beat swing number and offered his   
hand to Barbara. "Well Miss Barbie," he said, as she giggled at her new nickname. "I   
don't know about you but I think it's a shame to be sitting here when such good music is   
being played." He took her hand and pulled her to her feet. Barbara adjusted her dress   
over her hips, a gesture that did not go by unnoticed by the dozen or so men that had their   
eyes glued to Barbara, and smiled. "I'd have to say that I'd love to dance."  
  
  
Soon after Gooz and Barbara began to twirl energetically on the dance floor the other   
couples followed. Anthony and Sandra were dancing intimately in secluded corner while   
Red had summoned up the courage to ask Martha to dance, despite his stutter. Rafe and   
Evelyn were soon among the few people still sitting at their tables. Evelyn was watching   
the other couples, tapping her foot in time to the music. She missed dancing. She missed   
everything that she had been able to do when she wasn't pregnant.  
  
  
Rafe had been watching Evelyn all night long. He couldn't really help it, being around   
her seemed to hypnotize him. He noticed that she chewed every bite of food exactly   
eighteen times, that she laid her knife and fork upside-down on the sided of her plate   
when she wasn't using them, and that she dabbed at the left corner of her mouth with her   
napkin after every four bites. "Her mother must have been strict about good table   
manners," Rafe thought. He didn't know much about Evelyn's mother except that she   
had died when Evelyn was just a little girl and was the reason she became a nurse.  
  
  
She seemed tired, he noticed, more than usual. Sandra had told him the other day that,   
"This hasn't been an easy pregnancy for her, by any means. Just take care of her Rafe.   
For all of us. He intended to do so, even though Evelyn was quite stubborn, insisting that   
she didn't need any help. "Come on," he said, watching her head droop. "Let's get you   
home." She nodded, not up for a protest tonight. "I'll go get our coats and tell Sandra that   
I'm taking you home."  
  
  
Rafe headed back towards the dance floor after retrieving his flight jacket and Evelyn's   
light coat from the coatroom. He spotted Anthony and Sandra still dancing in the corner   
that he had last seen them in. He smiled, thinking that Sandra would be good for   
Anthony. He needed someone to talk to. He had Evelyn, Barbara and Red had formed a   
special bond of late, and Gooz…, Rafe wasn't sure about who Gooz talked to. He tapped   
Anthony on the shoulder.  
  
  
"I'm taking Evelyn home. She's tired," he said, as Anthony turned around to face him.  
  
"Drive carefully Rafe. It's dark out," Sandra reminded him, reminding him strangely of   
his mother at the moment.  
  
"I always do Sandra," he chuckled. "I think I'm gonna do it tonight," he whispered, not   
wanting Sandra to hear.  
  
"It!" Sandra exclaimed, overhearing their conversation. "It, Rafe?!" she said happily.   
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah," Rafe smiled. It would figure that Sandra would understand and not Anthony.  
  
"Do you have everything planned?" she asked. "Do you know what you're going to say?"  
  
"Well sort of," Rafe answered. The truth was that he knew what he wanted to say and   
what he wanted to happen but, he wasn't sure what he would say or what would happen   
when he had to say it in front of Evelyn instead of in front of a mirror.  
  
"Good luck," Sandra said, giving him a hug. "Just say what you mean. She loves you."  
  
Rafe nodded, encouraged by Sandra's words, and started back towards the booth, leaving   
Sandra to deal with a very confused Anthony.  
  
"What was that all about?" Anthony asked. "What's he gonna do?"  
  
Sandra laughed and laid her head on his shoulder. "You'll see tomorrow."  
  
  
Rafe ran his fingers over the small box in his trouser pocket. He was going to ask Evelyn   
to marry him, tonight. The ring, which he had bought in France, reminded him of Evelyn   
as soon as he saw it. The band, which was silver filigree, held three diamonds, a bigger   
one in the middle with a smaller diamond on each sided. His heart was beating so fast   
that it made it hard for Rafe to breathe.   
  
  
Evelyn smiled as Rafe helped her into the coat he had insisted that she bring. She was   
tired of people trying to take care of her, even though she knew they all meant well.   
Everyone was doing it, even Gooz. The other day she had been walking home with a bag   
of groceries she had picked up from the store when she had met Gooz on the sidewalk.   
He had insisted on carrying the groceries and walking her home. He even gave her what   
Evelyn suspected to be a mini-lecture on why she shouldn't be walking around by   
herself.  
  
  
"Let's get you home," Rafe said, interrupting her thoughts. She nodded as Rafe helped   
her to her feet. Evelyn had been becoming continually more tired as her due date neared.   
The doctors had been worried that Evelyn wouldn't gain enough weight to be able to   
safely deliver the baby but in the last month her stomach had grown every day. Her   
ankles had swollen and she was constantly hot. She couldn't wait to give birth just so that   
she wouldn't be pregnant anymore.  
  
  
Rafe, who had always been a good driver, drove especially slow on the curvy roads that   
led to the nurse's quarters. He grew steadily more nervous as they got closer to Evelyn's   
house. He began to tap his hands on the steering wheel until Evelyn reached a hand out to   
stop him.  
  
  
"What's the matter?" she asked, taking his hand of the steering wheel and placing it in   
her lap.  
  
"What makes you think that something's wrong?" Rafe asked, recognizing her question.   
He tried to think straightly but, it was a hard thing to do with Evelyn softly massaging his   
palm. They knew each other's behavior and habits intimately.   
  
"You're tapping the steering wheel," Evelyn pointed out. She knew that Rafe did this   
when he was worried about something.  
  
"Ev, I've got to ask you something," He said, as he pulled the car over on the side of the   
road. "I was watching you at dinner tonight and it made me realize something. I realized   
that I want to spend every meal of the rest of my life at a table, our table, with you and   
with Danny. I don't want to be taking you home to your house, I want to be taking you   
home to our house." he said, placing his hands on her stomach. "I love you more than   
anything and nothing would make me happier than to hear you say that you'll marry me."   
He pulled the box out of his pocket and gave it to her. "Evelyn Stewart, will you marry   
me?"  
  
  
Evelyn gasped as she opened the box, revealing to her what she thought must be the most   
gorgeous ring in the world. His proposal was so very Rafe and Evelyn couldn't even   
fathom saying no. Life had never asked her what she wanted but maybe it had heard her   
tell Rafe and decided her worthy of getting what she wanted. A home with Rafe and for   
them to grow old together. "Yes," she answered breathlessly. "Yes, Rafe McCawley, I'll   
marry you." Rafe sighed as if relieved by her answer. Evelyn placed a hand on each of   
his cheeks, drew his face to hers, and kissed him.  
  
  
They sat in the front of Rafe's car, kissing, as if they were oblivious to the rest of the   
world until Evelyn started to wheeze strangely. Her hands flew to her stomach where she   
wrapped them around herself. She broke their kiss and Rafe looked at her, confused.  
  
"Rafe, get me to the hospital. Now!" 


	5. Tiger Lilies

Healing the Breach  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you would recognize, just the plot.  
Notes from the Author: For the purposes of this story Anthony didn't die but he did suffer   
from a head injury during the mission. There is some romance in this story, so far the   
pairings are Rafe/Evelyn and Anthony/Sandra. Lindsay, you have my permission to put   
my story on your site as long as it has this heading and you give me credit for writing the   
story. Thanks for your review! Danielle, bondgurl_007_00@yahoo.com  
  
  
Rafe quietly opened the hospital room door and slipped inside. Evelyn was lying on a   
bed, looking pale and tired. He smiled, remembering how strong she had been yesterday   
during labor. He had never heard her scream or cry out, she had just gritted her teeth and   
he had heard her grunt once in awhile. Rafe was amazed by Evelyn's strength, she was   
strong for everyone she knew. For Barbara, who had lost Billy and Betty in the same day,   
for Danny, when they had thought he had died, and now for himself. Rafe had lost his   
best friend in the world. Evelyn had lost the father of her child but seemed more   
concerned about him.  
  
  
He laid the bouquet of tiger lilies, Evelyn's favorite flower, that he had brought for her on   
the bedside table and took one of her hands in his. Rafe brushed back a lock of her hair   
and stroked her cheek. He did not wish to wake her at this moment, he enjoyed the   
peaceful look he found upon her face. Everyone had been worried about Evelyn. She   
seemed too delicate to give birth to a healthy baby. But last night and yesterday morning   
had proved everyone wrong. She had given birth to a healthy baby boy, with a head full   
of dark hair and his mother's eyes. They were going to name him Daniel Walker   
McCawley.  
  
  
Rafe was just about to wake her when Sandra opened the door, carrying a small bundle in   
her arms. She smiled, seeing Rafe at Evelyn's bedside. "Let her sleep a little while longer   
Rafe," she cautioned. "She needs her rest." Rafe nodded, visibly disappointed. "Would   
you like to see your son?" she asked.  
  
  
Rafe smiled as Sandra handed him the bundle. She walked out and closed the door   
quietly behind her. Rafe was nervous, knowing that he was here alone with the baby. He   
pulled back one of the corners of the soft blanket, which was the very palest of blues. It   
was Danny's child, not his, that stared back at him. He sighed, knowing that this would   
never be his own son. He and Evelyn had talked about the situation and decided that Rafe   
would adopt the baby and legally become the father. "But its still not the same," he   
whispered to the infant. "He would have been your real father, your own flesh and blood.   
But just because there isn't a piece of me inside of you doesn't mean that the tiniest piece   
of you doesn't have control over my entire heart. I love your mama so much that   
sometimes it hurts to look at her and know that she isn't solely mine. Part of her will   
always belong to your Daddy."  
  
  
Evelyn, who had just woken, smiled as she heard Rafe's soliloquy. He was right, part of   
her would always belong to Danny but that part of her was now a part of their child. Even   
now, Evelyn couldn't be sure if she had ever truly loved Danny. When she had met and   
fallen in love with Rafe it was because they were meant to be together. When she and   
Danny had started to spend time together it was because they needed each other for   
support. When she looked at Rafe she had a feeling that he had to love her. That he   
couldn't survive without seeing her or being with her. But with Danny, she had always   
thought that he needed to love her. That she was there to support him when he thought he   
had lost the last of his family. Even when they had spent the night in the parachute hangar   
and made love Evelyn had had the impression that they had done it for the need of   
comfort.  
  
  
Rafe continued to speak to the infant. "I can promise you," he said "that your mama and I   
will give you a little brother or sister to play with. Maybe a couple of them." Danny   
reached out a hand and grabbed one of Rafe's fingers. "You've got a strong grip there,   
pilot. I'll take you up and teach you how to fly soon enough."  
  
  
Evelyn rolled over and cleared her throat. "Rafe McCawley! That child isn't getting near   
a plane until he can at least walk!" she laughed. "And what's this I hear about brothers   
and sisters? I hope you've talked that over with his mother."  
  
  
Rafe laughed as he walked to her bedside and handed her the child. "Do you want more   
children?" he asked, solemnly. "I do. Evelyn, there's nothing I want more than to be the   
father of your children."  
  
  
Evelyn smiled as she looked down at her newborn son. " I want more children, too Rafe.   
But not now. I want to wait until Danny is a little bit older. I'm not sure if I could handle   
Danny, another new baby, and you!" she laughed. "Believe me Rafe, I've dreamed about   
the days when we'll have the chance to add to our family."  
  
  
"And what about the nights?" Rafe asked, a devilish smile upon his handsome face.   
"Have you dreamed about those, too?" Rafe had. Every night in England, that was what   
he had been dreaming about. He hadn't been lying to Evelyn when he told her that that   
was what he would look forward to, that she would the one that would bring him home.  
  
  
"I've dreamed about the nights even longer," she said, startled to find her voice so husky.   
She grabbed one of his hands and held it in one of her small ones. "Much longer." 


	6. Mother Figure

Healing the Breach  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you would recognize, just the plot.  
Notes from the Author: For the purposes of this story Anthony didn't die but he did suffer   
from a head injury during the mission. There is some romance in this story, so far the   
pairings are Rafe/Evelyn and Anthony/Sandra.  
  
  
It had been a beautiful wedding in Sandra's opinion. Small and a bit rushed but beautiful   
nonetheless. Rafe, and all the pilots who had served as ushers, looked dashingly   
handsome in their uniforms. Evelyn played the part of the beautiful bride flawlessly. Her   
father, who had not been able to attend the wedding because he couldn't get out of   
Boston in time, had sent her her mother's wedding dress. The simple beaded white dress   
and veil had fit Evelyn's newly petite form wonderfully. All the nurses were Evelyn's   
bridesmaids and wore gowns of a pale, icy blue. Sandra, according to Anthony, bid to   
upstage the bride.  
  
  
Their reception was held at the beach near the nurse's quarters. The wedding had been   
small but those that were there were friends, colleagues and family. That mix of people   
made for an interesting and joyous celebration. Colonel Doolittle, who had opted to stay   
in Hawaii and open a new training facility for new pilots on the West Coast at Hickam   
field, had flown in his wife Marjorie. She was quite popular with all of the nurses, even   
thought they had just met her. "We need another woman around here," Sandra murmured   
to no one in particular.   
  
  
"What was that?" Anthony asked, coming up behind her and speaking directly in her ear.  
  
  
"I was just saying that I was glad there was another woman around to help us girls keep   
you men in check," Sandra laughed. She knew that Marjorie Doolittle was already a sort   
of mother figure to the pilots, helping them with their ties, making sure that they got   
enough to eat, and trying to talk Rafe out of his nerves this morning.  
  
  
"Marjorie?" Anthony said, enjoying the shiver he saw run up Sandra's spine. "Yeah   
she's great. It's hard to picture Doolittle married, though." None of the men had ever   
thought that the seemingly hard, stubborn, and determined colonel would ever had found   
a woman that would tolerate him. But Marjorie Doolittle gave it right back to her   
husband of twenty-three years.  
  
  
Meanwhile, on the other side of the yard, Rafe was enjoying a quiet moment with is new   
family. The adoption papers about Danny had come through and legally he was his son.   
Evelyn and he had been to the town hall earlier in the week and now, with their marriage   
license, they belonged to each other. They had come a long way in the two months since   
Rafe had returned. They could be together without that underlying feeling of guilt.  
  
  
They had one last hurdle though. It was time to bring Danny's body home. Rafe wasn't   
sure what would happen when they went back home to Tennessee. He would be   
surrounded by memories of Danny. "Evelyn," he asked, "Do you want to stay and live in   
Tennessee or do you want to come back here to Pearl?"  
  
  
"I don't know," she replied, shifting Danny to her other hip. He had been so quiet during   
the ceremony, he was such a good baby, sitting on Mrs. Doolittle's lap. "Why?" Evelyn   
was confused. They had never talked about staying in Tennessee. She knew that they   
would have to go there to bury Danny at the boy's farm but she had never considered   
staying there as an option. She loved Hawaii and had never thought of leaving. If they   
moved back to Tennessee, would Rafe still stay in the military? "Would you have to stop   
flying?" she asked, "Is there a military base there?"  
  
  
Evelyn loved everything about Hawaii. She loved the tiger lilies that surrounded their   
house, the smell of plumeria, and the fact that the sun could have set but there was still   
heat left over. She loved the slow-paced life of the locals and she loved the base at Pearl.   
Leaving the island would be letting the Japanese win. She had seen so many families   
leave, thinking that Hawaii wasn't safe anymore. She wanted to raise her son here, she   
wanted him to be surrounded by history. She wanted to live here with Rafe. To have a   
home and grow old together.  
  
  
"We have a plane at home but yeah, I'd have to stop flying for the army," Rafe answered.   
He didn't want to stop being an army pilot but if Evelyn wanted to stay Tennessee than   
he was prepared to give that up for her. "I'm only asking because Doolittle asked me to   
help train pilots at Hickam."  
  
  
Evelyn snaked an arm around Rafe's waist as she looked up at his face. "You wouldn't   
be combat fighting?" she asked, the smile on her face giving Rafe the only answer he   
needed, "You'd be here at Pearl all the time?"  
  
  
"For the time being," Rafe answered, "Doolittle says that there isn't any use killing all   
the good pilots because then there wouldn't be anyone to teach the new guys." Rafe lived   
to fly but he had seen how his career as a combat fighter had effected the people he   
loved. He knew that he didn't honestly want to "teach loops and barrel rolls" for the rest   
of his life but he had had his shot. He had seen combat and he had seen enough of it.  
  
  
"Rafe," Evelyn whispered, standing on her tiptoes so that her lips were an inch away   
from his ear, "Why don't we see if one of the girls will watch Danny tonight before we   
leave tomorrow morning for Tennessee?" She felt the pit of her stomach drop as she saw   
the color rise in Rafe's cheeks. She knew what he was thinking because she was thinking   
the same exact thing.  
  
  
"I think that's a very good idea, Mrs. McCawley," he said. 


	7. Maternal Instincts

Healing the Breach  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you would recognize, just the plot.  
Notes from the Author: For the purposes of this story Anthony didn't die but he did suffer   
from a head injury during the mission. There is some romance in this story, so far the   
pairings are Rafe/Evelyn and Anthony/Sandra. This will probably be the last installment   
unless I get some more reviews…..wink wink!!  
  
  
  
Watching Sandra rock baby Danny to sleep in a secluded part of the yard evoked a   
strange sort of feeling in Anthony. He had sworn to himself that he would always remain   
a bachelor and up until now he hadn't found a woman that had made him reconsider his   
vow to himself. He knew that he really liked Sandra, maybe even loved her a little, but as   
he heard her start to hum a lullaby to the baby he wondered what it would be like if that   
were their baby. If they had been the ones that had been married today, instead of Evelyn   
and Rafe. He was genuinely happy for the bride and groom, he knew that Rafe and   
Evelyn belonged together. He still held the same opinion of what had happened between   
Danny and Evelyn but he couldn't blame them.   
  
  
Sandra turned around, meaning to head back into the house and put Danny down to sleep,   
but instead her green eyes met Anthony's brown ones. She smiled shyly and shifted   
Danny's sleeping form onto her other shoulder. She truly loved this baby and was starting   
to wish for one of her own. She was already twenty-three, almost twenty-four, and her   
maternal instincts were beginning to kick in. She supposed that her maternal instincts had   
been the reason she had become a nurse, she loved caring for people, especially babies.   
When she found herself thinking about babies it was always Anthony who was the father   
in her dreams.  
  
  
"Hey," she whispered. Even being five feet away from him made her heart start to beat   
faster and had it jumping into her throat. "I didn't know that you were still here. I thought   
everybody had left."  
  
"And I didn't know that you had baby-sitting duty tonight," he answered jokingly.   
"Actually, everybody has left. How come you've got Danny tonight? Where did Rafe and   
Evelyn go?"  
  
"I think they wanted to be alone tonight, before they had to leave tomorrow morning."   
Sandra blushed as she pictured Evelyn's face asking her if "you would terribly mind   
watching Danny tonight so that……Rafe and I could be….alone." She hadn't hesitated to   
say yes, she knew that this would be the only chance for the newlyweds to be totally   
alone.  
  
"Oh…….they wanted to be alone," Anthony said, tying not to laugh. He didn't blame   
Rafe at all. He knew that Rafe and Evelyn had never become intimate and he gave Rafe a   
lot of credit. He didn't think that if he were faced with a woman that obviously wanted to   
be intimate that he would be able to say no. Seeing the blush appear on Sandra's cheeks   
had him thinking about being intimate with her. Growing up in Brooklyn, he had had   
plenty of experience with women but somehow that hadn't applied to Sandra.  
  
"Yes," she answered. "I know I'm stuck with Danny tonight and I wouldn't be much fun   
to an army pilot like you but if you wanted to we could take a walk on the beach," she   
suggested shyly.  
  
"I'd love to," Anthony answered sincerely. When he spent time with Sandra it didn't   
matter to him what they did as long as they were together.  
  
  
  
  
Rafe paused at the threshold of the hotel room he and Evelyn had booked, giving his eyes   
a second to adjust the light that was dim compared to the June sunlight. He wasn't   
exactly nervous, more anxious, about what he knew was going to happen that night.   
Telling Evelyn that he didn't want to in New York had been one of the hardest things he   
had had to do. He had wanted to but he honestly didn't believe that it would have been   
the right time. It would have been as if they were trying to prove something, tying to   
prove their love since he was leaving for England. Rafe didn't need to try and prove his   
feelings for her, he knew that what he felt for Evelyn could transcend anything, even time   
and insinuating circumstances.   
  
  
"Are you coming in Mr. McCawley or am I going to have to sleep alone?" Evelyn asked,   
apparently having slid her slim form past him and into the room. She stood there, with   
her weight on her back leg and her hair curling about her face from the humidity. Rafe   
knew that there had never been a woman more beautiful than her.   
  
"Oh, I'm definitely coming in Mrs. McCawley," he smiled, as he crossed the room.   
When he had reached her, in the middle of the shady room that had sunlight streaking in   
through the wooden Venetian blinds, he slid one arm around her waist and caressed her   
cheek with his free hand. "It's a little too early to go to sleep, don't you think?" he asked   
watching her start to breathe a bit faster. "What are we gonna do?"  
  
"Oh, I think I can think of a few things to keep us occupied until later," Evelyn replied   
breathlessly, as her hands went to the lapels of his jacket and pulled his face down to hers   
so that the tips of their noses were touching. "Much later," she added right before pulling   
his face down one more inch so that their lips met in a gentle kiss.  
  
  
Evelyn's hands left Rafe's chest and began to unbutton the buttons on his uniform jacket.   
She slid it from his shoulders, not hearing it hit the floor. As Rafe's hands entangled   
themselves in her hair, she bean to unknot his tie. Yanking it from his shirt collar and   
tossing it onto the floor, her hands automatically began pulling his shirt from out of his   
trousers.  
  
"Evelyn," Rafe said, his breath, racing erratically in her ear. "Are you sure that you wan   
to do this? Because if you don't I'm not going to pressure you. I don't want to do this   
unless you do."  
  
"Rafe, if I didn't want to do you think I'd be pulling your clothes off you as fast as I   
could?" she replied, resting her face in the crook pf his neck. She lifted her face to look   
directly into his eyes. "We've waited almost a year and a half. Don't make me wait any   
longer….please." 


	8. Not the Same

Healing the Breach  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you would recognize, just the plot.  
Notes from the Author: For the purposes of this story Anthony didn't die but he did suffer   
from a head injury during the mission. There is some romance in this story, so far the   
pairings are Rafe/Evelyn and Anthony/Sandra. This will probably be the last installment   
unless I get some more reviews…..wink wink!! I'll keep saying that because it's the only   
way I get reviews!  
  
  
Evelyn sighed happily, running the naked skin of her calf against Rafe's soft but   
somewhat prickly hair on his leg. She enjoyed the sensation immensely, being around   
Rafe always put her senses on overload. The sky seemed bluer, the air smelled sweeter,   
and the whole world looked more beautiful. She spooned her back up against his chest   
and sighed again.  
  
She smiled, almost sheepishly, thinking about last night. She had been so full of passion,   
of longing, and need to be close to Rafe in every way possible that she couldn't even   
explain what her brain had been thinking. She snuggled closer to him and pulled the   
sheets closer to her body. She and Rafe, together, had been amazing. They had found   
their rhythm together so quickly and the bodies fit together in every spot. She knew that   
he was a wonderful dancer on the floor and his abilities there had seemed to transcend   
into the bedroom. He had been so gentle, understanding that it had been a long time for   
her and that she had just delivered a baby. Evelyn had appreciated his consideration for   
her body but as soon as their bodies had become joined she had been the one to forgo the   
gentle lovemaking.  
  
  
She heard Rafe sigh and felt his arm move across her lower stomach and settle on her hip.   
Evelyn knew that she couldn't possibly be any happier or be more in love with the man   
lying next to her. She thought back to their conversation at the hospital, the morning after   
baby Danny had been born. She felt the prick of tears at her eyes, remembering what she   
had heard Rafe say to the baby. "I don't think I can ever really be your father but I'll be   
your daddy if you want me to," he's said to the infant.  
  
"Hey Mrs. McCawley," Rafe whispered in her ear, breathing erratically. "Why don't we   
go and pick up our son?" Rafe was happy to be alone with Evelyn, but he already missed   
being with the baby. He felt complete with the both of them by his side. They were a trio   
and he could never think of one of them without the other two. He felt the top of Evelyn's   
head rub against his chin as she nodded in agreement.   
  
Forty-five minutes later, Rafe and Evelyn's car pulled into the driveway of the nurses'   
quarters. Rafe saw Anthony sitting in a rocking chair on the porch. He looked at Evelyn   
and she nodded, pulling him close to whisper in his ear. "I'm going to find Sandra and   
Danny. I'll be out in awhile." He squeezed her hand in silent reply, climbed up the front   
steps, and took a seat next to Anthony on the couch. "Well, old man, how's it goin'?"  
  
Anthony laughed and turned to look Rafe in the eye. "I'm an old man? Who's got a wife   
and a baby?" After waiting for a reply and receiving nothing but a chuckle and a sigh   
from Rafe, he nodded. "That's what I thought."  
  
  
"Thank you so much for watching him last night Sandra." Evelyn said as she picked   
Danny up out of his bassinet. "I hope he wasn't too much if an inconvenience."  
  
Sandra smiled and picked up the small suitcase that contained Danny's things. "Of course   
he wasn't. You know I love babysitting my godson." Evelyn and Rafe had asked Sandra   
and Anthony to be their son's godparents. They had both agreed and a priest had come to   
the hospital the day after Danny was born and baptized him.  
  
Evelyn turned and looked at her. "I don't know about that, Sandra. I'm sure that Anthony   
would have rather spent time with just you." Evelyn had sensed that there was something   
more lying beneath the surface of Sandra and Anthony's casual relationship.  
  
Sandra blushed, thinking of how sweet Anthony had been the night before. He had played   
with Danny and had taken them both for a walk on the beach at sunset. "I have no idea   
what you're talking about!" She made her way to the front door, ignoring Evelyn's   
giggles.  
  
  
"I swear to God, Rafe, she drives me insane, but in a good way. Sometimes I think that   
I'll never understand her. I mean, she's so good and proper and all that, and   
I'm…well…not. But I like her, maybe even love her. And she likes me back," Anthony   
rambled. Rafe nodded intermittingly, understanding the jumble of thoughts that were   
coming out of Anthony's mouth because he felt the same way about Evelyn.  
  
"And those fucking lips, Rafe. I've never seen a woman with lips like that." Anthony had   
always enjoyed the physical part of his relationships with women but with Sandra, he felt   
that there was more to their connection besides their obvious attraction to each other.  
  
"Language, Anthony," Sandra said, as she came up behind him and laid a hand on his   
shoulder, looking as though she were trying very hard not to blush. She missed the   
devilish grin that Anthony had sent in Rafe's direction, not embarrassed in the slightest.  
  
"Well," Rafe said, "We've got a plane to catch and it looks like someone is in trouble. I   
think we'll leave you two alone so that Sandra can decide your punishment." He stood   
and stretched, grasping Evelyn's free hand. Sandra and Evelyn embraced, whispering   
words of good-bye in each other's ears. Anthony rose to his feet and gave Rafe a slap on   
the back.  
  
The four of them made their way to the parked car at the end of the driveway. Rafe   
reached for Danny and strapped him into the car seat in the back seat of the car. Anthony   
gave Evelyn a soft hug and whispered in her ear, "Be careful with him, he's still broken   
inside." Evelyn returned his embrace and nodded.  
  
Rafe walked around the parked vehicle to Evelyn's side and opened her door for her. She   
slid inside while he returned to the driver's side and buckled his seat belt. "We'll let you   
know when we get there!" Evelyn called as Rafe started the engine and began to pull out   
of the driveway.  
  
Anthony and Sandra watched as the car drove away, rounding the corner that housed a   
small cluster of palm trees. He could feel her sigh and slipped an arm around her delicate   
waist. "They'll come back," he promised her, not entirely sure that they would.   
  
"Yeah," she replied. "But they won't be the same." 


End file.
